When it's not yet time

21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
24So Jesus went with him.

25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31”You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”

36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

Jairus’ pleading with Jesus was heard. Jesus went with Jairus! The fact that Jesus will go to their house, there’s a sure blessing – assured blessing! But along the way, someone has touched Jesus’ garment.

Jairus’ blessing of healing for her dying daughter was disrupted. The assured blessing become a disrupted blessing. Someone has touched the hem of Jesus’ clothes and Jesus noticed that power has gone out of him. As if it was not enough, Jesus tried to find out who touched him!

We saw how Jesus healed the woman and it was a blessing to her. But to Jairus, it was a disrupted blessing, an interruption of Jesus to go to their house and heal her dying daughter.

Is it not enough that the bleeding woman has already received healing? What’s the use of identifying who was it that touched Jesus?

For the woman, it is to complete her healing. The woman felt that she was healed, her bleeding stopped. Jesus wanted to complete her healing.

For Jairus, the disrupted blessing tells him to:

a. Wait for the perfect time.

What was the situation here? Jesus was crowded with so many people, pressing on him. I believe many of these people were trying to take hold of this opportunity to touch Jesus! Many of them were trying so hard for them to have even just a glimpse on Jesus, much so to touch him. Did Jesus suddenly forget that he is coming with Jairus to heal her dying daughter? Of course not! But why in the world, was Jesus still trying to find out who is that someone that has touched him? Is it not enough that the bleeding woman received her healing?

Can you imagine the reaction here of Jairus? If we are to remember, he is running out of time because his daughter is at the point of death. And here was Jesus, still trying to find out who has touched him? Does it really matter to Jairus? Is it important for him? What does it matter, if Jesus found out who has touched him? What will happen if he was able to find who it is that was healed?

Did we see Jairus, so anxious and might be saying to Jesus, “Lord, can’t you see? There are so many people out here pressing on you, how in the world will we be able to identify who that person was?” But, did we hear it from Jairus? It was not told in the Bible, what was the reaction of Jairus while Jesus was looking for the person who has touched the hem of his garments. Only the disciples’ reaction was noted here. I suppose Jairus might have felt the same way, or more. Anyway, he is just the father of a dying child. However, Jairus never said a word, he waited for Jesus. He waited for the perfect time.

What does it mean to us? When we know that our need is in God’s hand, the only thing we have to do is wait. We have to wait for the perfect time.

b. Keep the faith.

The reality of the disrupted blessing finally came in front of Jairus. While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, some men came from the house of Jairus, and told him, “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?” But Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

After Jairus have waited for Jesus to finish his dealing with the woman, here comes men from Jairus’ house and told him that his daughter is dead and it is no use to bother the Lord anymore.

Could you imagine what Jairus might have felt after hearing the news that his daughter had died? Could you feel what he felt? If I were to imagine his reaction, he could have said to the Lord Jesus, “Oh Jesus, did you hear the news? My daughter is now dead! If only you and I have walked directly home and ran instead of bothering who has touched you such as you did, oh my daughter could still be touched by you and be healed! But what now? She is now dead!” Oh, could you see and feel the anguish on Jairus’ heart, right at this moment? His daughter is now dead! There’s no use to bother Jesus. Oh, if only…
But, again those were not written in the Bible. It was just my imagination of what our true reactions as human often do. The true story was, Jesus have told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe.” It’s as if Jesus was saying to Jairus, “Don’t worry. Just believe and everything will be alright. I will prove to you who I am… everything will be all right. Just believe”. KEEP THE FAITH!

LIFE APPLICATION:

Like Jairus, are you in the same situation right now, wherein your blessing seemed to be disrupted? Know that God knows the perfect time to give you the blessing. It could be “disrupted” as of now, because God wants you to be ready to take hold of that blessing. He wants you to learn how to take care of that GREAT BLESSING He would be giving you in His time. It could be God is preparing you to be just the “right vessel” of that one GREAT BLESSING. If now you are just like a glass that can take hold of just a glassful of water, how can He give you a “pitcherful” of water? The overage of that pitcherful of water will just be wasted. Wait for the perfect time till you are able to take hold of what God wants to give you, just keep on keeping on. Keep the faith!

Just like Jairus, I may not understand it right now, but all I am asked is to wait and keep the faith.

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God
- Steven Curtis Chapman